Transcultural Studies
Research across Eras and Continents
The subject of transcultural studies is one of the pillars of Heidelberg’s concept of the comprehensive university. It is characterised especially by the close ties that exist between different disciplines. The primary goal of the Excellence measures in this area is to overcome the traditional focus of area studies on historical eras or continents and direct more attention to transcultural processes instead.
The University has also launched a new career model in the humanities: In addition to the traditional scientific career tracks - habilitation, assistant position or junior professorship - the University has established independent junior research groups that are given early scientific autonomy, including leadership of the group, the right to supervise doctoral students, and an individual budget. The close cooperation between these groups that transcends the individual focus on eras and continents is a distinguishing characteristic and indispensable prerequisite of transcultural studies.
Junior research groups:
- PD Dr. Claudia Brosseder: "Cultures in Dialogue in the Andean World"
- Dr. Anne Brüske: "From the Caribbean to North America and Back. Processes of Transculturation in Literature, Popular Culture and the New Media"
(This position was previously held by Dr. Simon Wendt who accepted a position as Junior Professor at the Institute of English and American Studies of Frankfurt University in the winter semester of 2010.) - Dr. Georg Christ: "Trading Diasporas. Transcultural Exchange, Religious Taboos and Illegal Trading in the Eastern Mediterranean (1270-1430)"
- Dr. Cornelia Logemann: "The Principle of Personification. Visual Intelligence and Epistemic Tradition, 1300-1800"
The cooperation between transcultural studies and the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) aims at promoting the introduction of computer-aided models in the humanities and cultural studies. The junior research group "Scientific Computing in the Humanities – Computer Vision" headed by Prof. Dr. Björn Ommer has broken new ground in the collaboration between mathematics and the humanities.
